Inflatable cleaning and dyeing last for shoes



Jan. 10, 1933. R, MCK. CHAPMAN INFLATABLE CLEANING AND DYEING LAST FORSHOES Filed Nov. 24, 1951 Patented Jan. 10, 1933 Area oFFicr.

ROY MCKINLEY GHAPIVIAN, OF ERWIN, TENNESSEE INFLATABLE CLEANING ANDDYEING LAST FOE- SHOES Application filed November 24, 1931.

This invention relates to the class of boots and shoes and pertainsparticularly to an improved form of last.

The primary object of the present invention 5 is to provide a shoe lasthaving particular val ue as a means for holding a shoe in filled outcondition while the same is being cleaned and polished or dyed, althoughthe present last may, like the ordinary wooden last, he

used for the purpose of maintaining a shoe in proper shape or conditionwhen not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe last of resilientmaterial, which is hollow and adapted to be filled and expanded with airafter being placed in a shoe so that the shoe will be completely filledby the last, or in other words, the last will conform itself to any andall irregularities in the contour of the shoe.

The invention broadly contemplates the provision of a hollow last ofrubber having top and bottom portions formed of hard unstretchablerubber, which portions taper at their edges and merge into otherportions of heavy slightly stretchable rubber, which in turn taper ofisharply and oin a third area or section formed of relatively thin easilystretchable rubber.

The hard rubber portions position in the top and bottom of the shoewhile the thin rubber portions fill out the toe and sides of the shoe.The top of the last is provided with a handle carrying a valve elementthrough which air is introduced into the last.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with the understandinghowever, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformitywith the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so longas such changes or modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional viewthrough the lastembodying the present invention;

Serial No. 577,088.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

7 Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numeralsof reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the numeral 1 indicates generally the last embodying thepresentinvention. This last is preferably formed entirely of rubber ofdifferent degrees of resiliency.

The last is formed in the usual design to snugly fit in a shoe and ithas the substantial elliptical top and bottom portions 2 and 3respectively which are preferably formed of a hard material such as hardvulcanized rubher. The top and bottom portions 2 and 3 taper inthickness slightly toward their edges and surrounding these portions andjoined thereto are relatively narrow areas 4 and 5 of a heavy slightlystretchable rubber. The

rubber in these areas 4 and 5 tapers relatively sharply from their inneredges or from their points of connection with the points 2 and 3 to theouter edges thereof where they are integrally connected by the thinrubber area 6. The major portion of the toe of the last and the sidesthereof are formed of this thin rubberporti'on 6 which joins theportions 4 and 5, the heel section of the last being thickened tosubstantially conform in weight with the slightly stretchable rubber ofwhich the areas a and 5 are made up. This thickened heel portion, whichconstitutes a thickened area of the thin rubber portion 6, is indicatedby the numeral 7.

The top 2 of the last has formed integral therewith the handle 8 whichmay be formed of the same material as the top and, therefore, these twoportions may be cast as a unit. Extending through the longitudinalcenter of the handle 8 is a passage 9 which opens into the interior ofthe last and at its outer end is enlarged to receive a valve assembly 10of the character of a pneumatic tire inner tube valve.

is shown and described, the toe portion of the last which is indicatedgenerally by the numeral 11 is formed entirely of thin rubber, the topand bottom portions 2 terminating at their forward ends a substantialdistance from the toe of the last as shown, while the back ends thereofextend to a point over the heel portion 7. It will thus be seen thatwhen the last is placed in position in a shoe and air introducedthcreinto through the valve 10 and bore 9, the toe portion 11 in fillingout will press against the toe of the shoe and force the last back intoits proper position and continued introduction of air thereinto willcause the last to enlarge until the shoe is completely filled. Afterfixing the last in the shoe in the manner described it will be readilyappreciated that the shoe may be easily handled by grasping the handle8, so that it may be cleaned and polished and dyed and the distendedlast will prevent any dye or other liquid entering the shoe and thusspoiling the interior thereof.

It will also be readily understood, as has been previously explained,that the present last may be put to other uses besides the use for whichit is primarily intended, as for eX- ample, it canrbe used in the samecapacity as the ordinary wooden lasts for maintaining a shoe in propercondition while not in use.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is 1- 1. A shoelast comprising a hollow body of rubber material shaped to conform tothe interior of a shoe, the top and bottom of the body having areas ofhard rubber and areas surrounding and tapering off from the hard rubberareas of heavy slightly stretchable rubber, the said slightlystretchable areas of rubber being joined by rubber of a relatively thincharacter, and means for introducing air under pressure into the last toexpand the same.

2. A shoe last comprising a hollow body formed throughout of rubbermaterial shaped to conform to the interior of a shoe, the top and bottomof the body having areas of hard rubber and areas surrounding andtapering otffrom the hard rubber areas of heavy slightly stretchablerubber, the said slightly stretchable areas of rubber being joined byrubber of a relatively thin character, a handle carried by the hardenedtop area of the body and having an air passage therethrough leading intothe body, and a valve in said air passage.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

ROY M. CHAPMAN.

